Basics of Alimony

Spousal support, or alimony, may be awarded following a divorce. It provides financial support to a spouse who did not earn an income during the marriage or who earned a much lower income. Spousal support may last for a certain time period or, in some cases, may be ordered for life.

The decision to award alimony and its terms is often at the discretion of a judge, although a couple may be able to agree on a payment schedule if the divorce is amicable. This may be the more attractive method, although it is not right for everybody, so be sure to discuss the particulars of your case with a divorce attorney.

Factors Influencing Spousal Support

Alimony may be decided by various factors such as:

age and physical and financial condition of the spouses;

whether one spouse is unemployed or lacks education or job training;

length of the couple’s marriage;

standard of living during marriage; and

whether one spouse can afford to pay alimony to the other.

Alimony may continue until the recipient becomes employed or receives a sum of money large enough to support him or herself. It also may end when the recipient remarries. If the payer dies, he or she may still need to continue alimony payments through an estate in some cases. However, alimony ceases when the recipient dies.

Alimony Requirements

Alimony must be paid in money, not services or property. It cannot be paid if the couple files a joint tax return or live in the same residence. There also must be a written agreement outlining the payment amounts, schedule and other terms.

Discuss your rights during a divorce by contacting Warren & Migliaccio, L.L.P. Contact us today at 1-888-584-9614 to set up a consultation. If you are going through a divorce, you may have to pay alimony or you may be eligible to receive it.

Follow Us

We worked with Chris and other staff. Chris from the start really worked with us as we were unsure what to do next and what was the best option for us. Chris spent a great deal of time with me on the phone, over email as well as meeting with my husband and I in his office. It can be scary to have the unknowns as we did and he really helped. When dealing with things you just don't know about you have to find someone you can trust to lean on and let them handle it; you can't be an expert on everything. The staff were so helpful and there was never a question on what we needed to get them or needed to do during the process. We were prepared 100% for what was to come and even months after the staff was quick to follow up to make sure that we did not have any questions or have anyone contacting us. They even helped figure out the 'what next' and 'where to go from here' that comes up. I would recommend them to anyone finding themselves facing financial struggle and trying to decide what to do. They give a free consultation over the phone or in the office; worth the call to find out your options.

I recommend Warren and Migliaccio to anyone who like myself, had no idea of what to do next. They were open and honest to me about my bankruptcy. They took time and explained the whole process to me beforehand. I was treated I'm sure, as their more prominent clients even though I'm a single senior with a limited income. They helped me maintain my dignity and I'm sure my sanity too.

I would strongly recommend anyone needing a family law attorney use this office. The staff is so friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. Gary Warren and Ryan Bauerle were the ones that helped me with a very rough child custody case and they were absolutely amazing. They are very nice guys but they will fight for you!!! I am truly happy that I used them for the case, I could not have asked for a better attorney! Ryan helped me and my husband so much and explained everything so well to us! I can't thank them enough for all they did for me and my family! So anyone please take my advice, if you need a family law attorney give Ryan a call!!!

Everyone in this attorney's office was wonderful! We had one matter that we needed assistance with last year, but they were not able to assist us with it, however Christopher Migliaccio was kind enough to provide us with a list of attorneys who would be able to help. Over the last couple of weeks, we decided to update our wills and powers of attorney and it could not have been any easier to do. They made it so we only had to make one trip to their office to take care of everything. If we need anything else, I would be most happy to do business with them again!